Mannington Commercial is Bringing LVT Production, and Jobs, Back to the USA

2/20/2013

Luxury Vinyl Tile, or LVT, is the fastest growing category in commercial flooring today. Popular across many market segments – healthcare, retail, corporate, education, higher education and more, it entered the market through the realistic mimicking of wood, stone and other natural materials. However, as manufacturers realized its potential for luxury aesthetics inspired by abstract visuals and textiles – as well as its ability to be cut into custom shapes – specifiers of interiors products have become only more sold on it.

In addition to its ability to be styled into a wide variety of aesthetics, LVT is also popular for its incredible durability, low maintenance requirements, lower overall lifecycle costs and ease of installation.

In 2012, Mannington Mills, a leader in the American LVT market, acquired Amtico International, a leader in LVT in both Europe and the USA, making Mannington's commercial division now the global leader for the category. As a fourth generation, family-owned company deeply committed to producing local goods, keeping jobs in America and sharing the best of the communities where they live and work with customers around the world, Mannington was drawn in part to Amtico's LVT manufacturing facilities in Conyers and Madison, Georgia.

"By manufacturing in the U.S., we have been able to keep people employed, which in turn keeps local economies healthy and thriving – not only within our the communities where we have manufacturing facilities, but also along our supply chain," said Jack Ganley, President of Mannington Commercial. "Keeping American manufacturing strong helps contribute to our nation’s recovery and a brighter future."

Since the acquisition, Mannington has been bringing its LVT product back from China, to the U.S.. Historically, in China the low cost for footprint of facilities and of labor have given them an advantage in product manufacturing. However, thanks to Mannington's commitment to domestic manufacturing, combined with major improvements to efficiency and significant investments in technology that allow them to make product with less labor per square foot, the company is able to produce LVT here in the United States without a significant price increase.

The result is more than a new trend in "onshoring," or bringing more jobs back to more American communities. It also means a seven day turnaround for most products once they're ordered, as opposed to a seventeen week turnaround for products made in China. Further reducing costs and meaning better customer service.

Today, Mannington Commercial manufactures flooring in nine communities around the country – and is one of a very short list of flooring companies to manufacture LVT, and other resilient flooring products, domestically.